Canoeing/Kayaking

Cortez RV Resort

45 RV Sites, 12 Cabins, 23 Tent Sites

Cortez RV Resort in Cortez, CO, offers 46 full-hookup RV sites, 12 cabins, and 23 tent sites, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 65 feet. Site categories cover the range: back-in sites, back-in 20/30-amp water-and-electric sites, pull-thru 30-amp, pull-thru 30/50-amp water-and-electric, and premium pull-thru 50-amp. Full-hookup sites carry water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi, a fire pit, and a picnic table. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, and a dump station cover the basics, and propane fills are available on site. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. The resort keeps guests busy between park days: an outdoor pool, a water park, a recreation center, a clubhouse with billiards, a playground, basketball, horseshoes, a boutique shop, and walking trails through the grounds, plus a lake, pond, and beach area for swimming, kayaking, and fishing. Golf is nearby, and the dark skies make for good stargazing. Cortez sits in Montezuma County in the Four Corners, at the gateway to Mesa Verde National Park and one of the densest concentrations of Ancestral Puebloan sites anywhere. Rates for sites, cabins, and tent spots are on the booking page. Summer, when Mesa Verde is at its busiest, books first.

Dolores River RV Resort

64 RV Sites, 13 Cabins, 10 Tent Sites, 2 Yurts, 2 Wagons

Dolores River RV Resort in Dolores, CO, offers 64 RV sites, 13 cabins, 10 tent sites, and 4 wagons and yurts, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 45 feet. Sites come in five categories — standard back-in, standard pull-thru, premium pull-thru, premium riverfront back-in, and water-and-electric back-in — with full-hookup sites carrying water, sewer, and electric plus site-delivered WiFi and a picnic table. The riverfront back-ins are the ones to request. No wristbands are required for any amenity, which is worth knowing if you've stayed at resorts that charge for them. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, a snack bar, firewood, propane fills and exchange, a dump station, a clubhouse, a recreation center, and recycling cover the rest. Pets are welcome. A beach, a pond, a lake, walking trails, horseshoes, and a playground fill the forested grounds, with fishing, kayaking, and hiking on the Dolores. Wine tasting and a state park are nearby. Dolores sits at 18680 Colorado Highway 145, three miles from town on the road toward Telluride, with Mesa Verde 50 miles east. Rates for every accommodation type are on the booking page. Premium riverfront sites book first.

from $35/night

Sweetwater River Resort

11 RV Sites, 4 Cabins, 6 Tent Sites, 1 Glamping Site

Sweetwater River Resort in Cotopaxi, CO, offers 11 full-hookup pull-thru RV sites, 4 cabins, 6 tent sites, and 1 glamping site, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 40 feet. Sites come in two categories, pull-thru 30-amp and pull-thru 50-amp, each carrying water, sewer, and electric with a fire pit, picnic table, and barbecue. Every site is a pull-thru, so nothing needs unhitching. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. The resort occupies 31 private acres along a half-mile of the Arkansas River, with a fishing pier, boat docks, and walking trails right on the water. Fishing, kayaking, hiking, biking, and birding fill the days, and off-road riding is close by. Cotopaxi sits on US Highway 50 at milepost 250 and a half, exactly halfway between Cañon City and Salida in western Fremont County, where the river cuts through Bighorn Sheep Canyon. Rates for sites, cabins, tent spots, and the glamping site are on the booking page. Rafting season on this stretch of the Arkansas runs busy — reserve ahead for summer.

from $40/night